


Collection for the Frozen Kingdom of Covid Challenge

by SnowQueenOfMyHeart



Series: Casselsa Collection [32]
Category: Frozen (Disney Movies), Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cassandra feels like shit and Elsa can relate, F/F, Frozen Angst Challenge, Lesbian Cassandra (Disney: Tangled), Protective Elsa (Disney), Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23286079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowQueenOfMyHeart/pseuds/SnowQueenOfMyHeart
Summary: A series of connected one-shots for the Frozen fandom's Kingdom of Corona Challenge. Expect angst.
Relationships: Cassandra/Elsa (Disney: Tangled)
Series: Casselsa Collection [32]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1177631
Comments: 19
Kudos: 44





	1. The wind blows a little bit colder...

She rides hard and fast through the night. The wind blows about her, getting colder by the minute. She doesn’t care. She presses on, urging Fidella to go faster.

She doesn’t know where she is now - only that she somehow found her way north after all this time away from Corona.

Corona... her home...

Not anymore.

Cassandra blinks the tears from her eyes, whether from grief or the wind she does not know. The nightmares have returned - except they aren’t nightmares. They are all too real. Memories seared into her brain, all the misdeeds she did, the people she hurt. Everything she threw away and for what? To prove that she was more than everyone thought? What good had that ever done for her?

Now she is succumbing to her darkest emotions. Not anger, but fear. The soul-crushing dread that she was never good enough and never wanted. The sneaking suspicion lurking around every corner that she was just a bad person unworthy of affection. And so those fears spur her on into the night.

She is so lost in her dark thoughts that she fails to notice the trees. Fidella grows worried as she has to veer through the forest. Somewhere overhead, Owl soars above the trees, trying his best to keep a visual on his owner and not get blown away by the north wind.

Suddenly, Fidella makes a hard turn, jarring Cassandra out of her thoughts and realizing she has no clue where she is or where her horse is taking her. Panic runs through her already fear-filled veins as she tries to steady herself. But then, an obstacle looms out of the dark and causes Fidella to stop and rear up so unexpectedly that Cassandra is thrown off. She lands hard on the ground, twigs and leaves getting caught in her attire and hair. Groaning, she rolls over onto her back and then feels a sharp twinge in her arm. She landed hard on it, and now it feels a little out of place. _Great._ And the arm that used to have a burned hand to boot.

Clutching her arm as she looks up toward what little sky she can see, Cassandra feels the tears well up from both pain and the fears returning. Fidella comes over to inspect her, and Owl swoops in. At least she’s not alone.

But she might as well be.

She already lost so much...

-

Elsa rides on through the night, knowing full well she is going to be late for charades. She can already hear Anna berating her for being so careless about the time, going on a rant about how just because she’s the Fifth Spirit she doesn’t have to worry about time. She smiles at the image of her telling her little sister that she’s only half of the Fifth Spirit and trying to explain that she got caught up in affairs up north. Which, technically was true.

At least she could rely on the Nokk to bring her back to Arendelle with unmatched speed. But she also wanted to take a more scenic route this time, which is why they are now traveling quickly through the woods to the north of Arendelle. She looks like a phantom on a ghostly horse, the wind whipping about her billowing out her hair and cape as a sliver of moonlight illuminates the icy coat on the water spirit as it carries her through the forest.

The sound of a horse catches her attention. The Nokk stops and waits for its spirit companion for guidance. Elsa looks around, her ears perked up and listening. A whinny. It’s faint, but she can tell it’s close.

She urges the Nokk towards the sound. When she arrives, she finds a majestic horse unlike any in Arendelle and an owl fixing her with a questioning gaze. For a brief moment, she wonder what a horse is doing out here without a rider, then she looks down...

A woman lying on her back, with debris from the forest floor in her hair and clothes and a dusting of snowflakes on top.

Elsa gasps in shock and dismounts quickly. She rushes over and falls to her knees as she puts a hand to the woman’s pulse point on her neck. She exhales in relief as she feels a pulse - but barely.

Then the woman takes in a shaky breath and Elsa recoils. She watches as eyes open slightly...

-

Cassandra is so cold. She feels her feet and toes going numb. The pain in her arm is still there, like a knife wedged into her shoulder. Something touches her neck, and she stirs. She opens her eyes to see...

A goddess?

She must be dead. For the figure before her is so incomparably beautiful that it can’t be of this world. Cassandra has seen so much, but this woman looking down at her is unreal.

She hears a question being asked, but cannot comprehend it. Instead, she croaks out one word:

“Please...”

-

“Are you okay?”

Elsa’s question is futile. The woman cannot answer her properly. And she knew it was a stupid question anyhow. Clearly this woman was not okay.

She tries to lift the woman up but is greeted with a hiss of pain as she touched her right shoulder. Grimacing, Elsa slowly and calmly feels the shoulder in question. Taking a deep breath and whispering an apology, she gently presses the shoulder and increases the pressure until she hears the joint slide back into place. She feels tears sting her eyes as the woman groans until she practically yells with pain. Elsa quickly covers her arm with an ice splint, hoping to the gods it will keep her safe until they can reach the castle.

-

Anna hears the familiar neigh of the Nokk. _Finally._

She storms out into the courtyard, glaring daggers at her sister. “You better have a good reason for coming here so late in the night! I was about to send the guards out to find you! How can you be so oblivious to the time of day?!”

Elsa normally cowers under her sister’s wrath, but this time she gives her a sorrowful look. She calmly dismounts her watery steed and watches it leave before turning to answer Anna’s furious question.

“Actually, I do have a good reason this time...”

She simply gestures to the other horse behind her. The one not made of water. And carrying a person who is precariously perched on top with an arm in an icy splint.

Anna finally registers the other horse. And the owl flying about. Then the rider. Her anger dissipates as concern fills her heart.

“Oh.”


	2. Please, come home...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra sees an old friend.

Of course Anna makes arrangements for their guest to stay. Charades can wait; this is far more important.

Neither sister has a clue as to who this woman is or where she came from. They search the inventory she has on her person as well as her horse. Just an assortment of weapons and supplies for the road. And a small journal that looks rather artistic on the cover, unlike the woman who was found with it.

Elsa frets and says she will not leave until she is sure this stranger is safe. Anna is more than happy to let her sister stay, and assures her she will do everything she can to help.

-

Cassandra awakes to find herself not out alone in the woods, but lying in a comfortable bed in a spacious room. Warm. She winces as she feels the pain in her arm, but the joint feels restored. She wonders how that happened.

The door opens and she finds herself seeing the same figure she swore she saw before passing out completely. Now she believes she is dead. The figure is in that same ethereal outfit, and her hair is almost white and flowing freely down her back. Cassandra tries to ask where she is but coughs because of lack of water.

Elsa rushes over and helps lift a cup of water to the woman’s lips. She encourages her to drink before speaking again. “You are in Arendelle. You’re safe here. I’m Elsa.” She doesn’t give any title because there is so much to explain.

“Cassandra.” She manages after her throat is soothed by the cool liquid. She thanks Elsa for helping - no, saving her.

They chat for a while. Eventually, Anna appears and exclaims in relief that their guest is alive and okay. She introduces herself and hastily explains in her own Anna way how she is the Queen and her elder sister is not. Cassandra just listens, unsure of what to make of any of this.

But one thing is for certain: she is safe and warm. For now.

-

Rapunzel shows up a few days later. Her husband is there, too. Anna is happy to see her again and welcomes the future queen.

The Coronan asks about a dear friend of hers.

The Arendellian is surprised but answers that she is, in fact, here.

Soon, Rapunzel rushes to the guest room where Cassandra is recovering. It’s a tearful reunion, lots of hugs and apologies. Cassandra admits she was hurt but is doing better now. Anna confirms that she is doing quite nicely and has provided Elsa surprisingly good company.

Rapunzel is grateful for all the royal family has done to look out for her best friend. Then she turns back and asks quietly:

“Please, come home…”

…

“I can’t.”

The moment of silence is deafening.

Rapunzel asks why. She starts to cry as she begs Cassandra for an answer, but none is provided. Cassandra can’t bring herself to confess the reason. And as Elsa watches the spectacle unfold, she gets a feeling she is seeing something all too familiar. But how she cannot be sure. All she knows is that when Rapunzel leaves the room sobbing with Eugene by her side, and Anna leaves to console her - and the only ones left are Elsa and Cassandra who is now looking out the window - Elsa can tell there is something deep inside. Much like her life, there are cold secrets hidden deep within those hazel eyes. But she knows better than to go diving for the truth. She must wait.

And so she shall.


	3. "Your majesty... there's something you need to know."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past is not quite in the past.

A few days pass. Neither of the royals press Cassandra for a reason as to why she did not wish to return home. They respect her privacy enough to leave her alone and wait until she decides to share, if at all.

Their guest begins to walk about the castle and the grounds, clearly not content with staying cooped up in her room all day. Her arm is getting better, and she is seen swinging her sword around to test it. Anna wants to learn from her while Elsa has to once again be the voice of reason and remind her that she’s the ruling monarch and must exercise caution. To which Anna retorts with something about going off to fight murderous sea horses and the sisters dissolve into a fit of teasing and giggles.

Later that evening, Anna finds Cassandra looking out her window and holding her arm.

“Okay, you’ve been here for quite some time and we still don’t know why you showed up this far away from Corona. If that is your home, why come out here?”

Anna stands in the middle of the room, the firelight illuminating half of her face. Cassandra doesn’t turn around.

Then a sad voice breaks the silence:

“Your majesty… there’s something you need to know.”

Cassandra begins to talk. About these strange black rocks. About Rapunzel’s magical power. About a journey they embarked upon to find the source of these rocks. About a demon that tricked Cassandra into taking some magical artifact called a “moonstone” and how she wound up betraying the princess. About how, blinded by her anger, she nearly destroyed the kingdom she once defended.

Anna is dumbstruck from what she is hearing. Especially the part about how this woman apparently had the power to practically level an entire kingdom. And something about an ancient demon being set free? What didn’t add up was why Rapunzel considered her such a good friend. There had to be more to this story, but Anna didn’t know where to begin.

First things first, she has to find Elsa.

Anna goes to find Elsa who just happens to be on her way to see Cassandra. They meet and slip into a side room so the Queen can tell her elder sister briefly what she just heard. It comes out a bit rushed and Elsa has to ask her to slow down, but blue eyes grow wide as the revelation about Corona almost being destroyed comes out.

“Are you sure that’s what she said?”

“Of course! I’m not making this up! Some crazy demon thing apparently caused her to lash out at Rapunzel and took this… moonrock and sun-thingy to try and destroy their kingdom.”

A moment of silence. Then…

“Elsa, do you think…”

“Yes, I do… oh dear…”

“But you can help her!”

“How?”

“I don’t know, but if anyone knows anything about nearly destroying kingdoms and running from loved ones, it’s you.” Anna winces as the words leave her mouth. She runs her hands over her face and groans. “Sorry.”

Elsa grimaces at the implication of having something terrible in common with this Cassandra, but she recovers. “No, you’re right. I’ve been in a dark place for some time, and maybe that’s what is happening with her. I’ll talk to her.”

And so they walk down to the guest wing. But upon entering the room, they find no Cassandra, and an open window.

Elsa runs over and looks out. How Cassandra managed to scale the steep roof of the castle is beyond her.

“Whoa… that woman is something else!” Anna remarks in awe as she peers over Elsa’s shoulder.

Fearing there is no time to lose, Elsa scrambles to think of a way to catch up to their mysterious guest. She has one idea.

_“AH AHHH AH AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”_

She leans back in and takes Anna’s hands. “Stay here. I’m going after her.”

“Kinda obvious,” Anna retorts. “Please tell me you’re going to be okay.”

“I will. I doubt she has whatever magic you mentioned left in her. She’s probably just scared.” She hears the wind in the distance and moves toward the window.

Anna follows. “Gale, you better bring my sister back!”

“Don’t worry! I’ll have her bring you to me!” Elsa cries as she leaps into the air and is lifted away by the wind spirit.


	4. Sleep, my darling, safe and sound...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stop running from your feelings, Cassandra.

For someone moving on foot, Cassandra certainly moves fast. Elsa flies above the town with the help of Gale like it’s an ordinary thing she does, scanning for the short black hair of the woman she is desperate to find. No luck. She turns to the forest on the outskirts of town and begins flying over the treetops. Then, an owl comes soaring up to her. She recognizes it. The owl that accompanied Cassandra when she first found her.

“Do you know where Cassandra is?”

Owl hoots. She takes that as a yes.

“Lead on.”

-

Servant. Selfish. Failure. Traitor. Monster. Words ring in her ears as Cassandra runs through the forest, stumbling blindly toward some unseen destination.

She climbs higher and higher, heading into the mountains. But she doesn’t stop. Her feet are tired but keep moving. Some part of her brain is screaming for her to return to warmth and safety, yet another is screaming louder that she is and never will be good enough. That she has no home and it’s all her fault. Who could possibly want her after all the things she did?

Her lungs burn as she ascends into the mountains, not registering where she is heading. Somewhere in the distance, a solitary peak rises out of the clouds, like a beacon in the dark of night.

-

Owl flies on towards the mountains as Elsa follows at a distance. She realizes where they are heading and it fills her with dread.

“How did she get out here so fast?” she wonders as they move farther away from Arendelle.

Then she sees a familiar sight looming out of the clouds in the distance. The sound of Owl hooting pulls Elsa’s attention back to their task and she watches as he dives sharply. She can see a small figure moving, with difficulty.

She recognizes that black hair.

-

Cassandra is exhausted. She is now close to crawling up the North Mountain. Owl swoops in and hoots loudly. She glances up wearily and suddenly sees that woman again - Elsa, descending on what looks like a breeze. She is now convinced the woman is a goddess; there is no other explanation for how she could just fly out here with no visible artifact to help her.

But Cassandra keeps moving, desperate to get away. She doesn’t need to burden this woman or her sister - or anyone anymore. As much as her head is torn between reason and fear, she cannot bring herself to face the issue in the moment.

And now Elsa is approaching.

“No! Stay away! Just… leave me!” Her voice breaks as she crawls away, trying to put more distance between them.

Elsa pauses for a moment, the words cutting deeper than any sword. But she knows better. Experience tells her what the right thing to do is. She continues to approach, slowly and cautiously.

Cassandra tries to move but is finding it harder to. So much is going on in her head, combined with a lack of oxygen from running so far and so fast as well as the change in altitude. She pleads to be left alone but the words die on her tongue as sobs overtake her.

As the woman before her collapses, Elsa quickly instructs Gale to find Anna and have her bring several blankets. The wind spirit dashes off into the trees, and Elsa turns to Cassandra whose body is shaking with sobs. Her heart breaks at the pathetic sight and she moves to pick up Cassandra’s head and bring her close.

“No… please…” The words come in a whimper, but Cassandra reaches out and clutches the fabric of her outfit, as if scared to be left behind.

“Shh, you’re okay,” Elsa murmurs as she tries to soothe the distraught woman, holding her close. Owl watches from a nearby tree, ever faithful to his master. Elsa places Cassandra’s head in her lap and strokes her hair.

_“Where the North wind meets the sea…”_

Cassandra whimpers but doesn’t protest.

_“There’s a river full of memory…”_

She begins to relax, a little. It’s progress.

_“Sleep, my darling, safe and sound…”_

Elsa runs her fingers through Cassandra’s hair, uncertain it would be wise to stroke her nose like her mother used to do.

_“For in this river all is found.”_

The voice is enchanting and unbelievably soothing. Cassandra surrenders to this woman, this Elsa. She is so tired and just wants to rest. Whatever fate awaits her will come tomorrow. For now, she just wants to fall away and lose herself in that voice.

Elsa continues to sing as best she can in spite of the tears threatening to leak from her own eyes. As she ends her song, she looks up at the ice palace looming in the distance. They will definitely need those blankets. And perhaps the help of a certain Marshmallow.


	5. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Cassandra awakes in a pile of blankets, aware of the coolness on her face. But the wind doesn’t blow. She opens her eyes to find ice - no, a palace made of ice. The place she must have spotted vaguely in the distance before Elsa...

She sits up to find Elsa sitting on the edge of a makeshift bed, watching her intently. Still in her mostly white... was it a dress? It didn’t matter. She seems unaffected by the cold. Anna stands nearby with heavier clothing and mittens, not exactly the picture of sophisticated grace at the moment.

The Queen asks why Cassandra ran, and assures her that they can pursue her across the north until they have answers. It’s not a threat; more a statement of the facts.

Cassandra curls in on herself, huddled in the blankets as she struggles with how to say what’s on her mind. There are too many thoughts crowding her tired brain. But she has to start somewhere.

“I’m afraid.”

“Of what?”

“...of failing. Again.”

And slowly, she utters her fears of all that happened being because she was the bad guy all along. That she was never loved because she truly did not deserve it. Her fear of letting Rapunzel down and screwing up this chance she was given to start anew.

“But you could have returned home when she was here,” Anna begins. “She clearly still loves-”

“Why?!” Cassandra’s voice echoes throughout the ice palace. “How can she still love me after everything I’ve done?!” Her voice is cracking and she is curling tighter into herself, the tears dangerously close to leaking out.

Elsa’s heart clenches. She looks at Anna, and they know.

Elsa doesn’t say anything. Simply looks at Cassandra and waits.

And when Cassandra glances up, she finds something odd. Not anger or annoyance or exasperation or even pity. But...

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Elsa is smiling, but it’s the saddest smile in the world.

“Because I know exactly how you feel.”

“No, you don’t.”

Elsa takes a deep breath to collect herself. “I froze my sister.”

The silence rings. Then she goes on.

“The one standing here who is now Queen of Arendelle. I froze her... because I was too scared to let her in and help me out of my dark place. I spent thirteen long years hiding from the world, convinced I was a monster and unworthy of love. And when my secret got out, I froze my kingdom and kept pushing Anna away until... until I lost everything.”

Cassandra is hanging on her every word, but doesn’t understand why Elsa thinks she can relate to betraying Rapunzel and nearly destroying Corona.

“When you spend most of your life being told you are not good enough, that you have to be absolutely perfect or else you are a failure... when you grow up not knowing what love feels like, it’s hard not to believe that you are worth something. And those who see you, the real you...” Elsa chuckles a bit, “...well, you want to say they’re crazy. But here’s the thing: you’ll never feel loved if you don’t give yourself a chance to be loved.”

“But... but what if...”

“Failure is part of life, Cassandra,” Elsa interjects, “and so is loss. We all lose something dear eventually...” she turns to Anna again, as they know that feeling all too well, “...but that should not stop you from becoming who you’re meant to be. And if Rapunzel loves you after all you did, then she must have found someone truly worth fighting for.”

Cassandra doesn’t want to believe it. She’s been stuck in such bad thoughts for so long that she can’t seem to break free. And yet she knows... she knows it is the truth. But undoing so many years of self-loathing and never coping with trauma is a long hard journey.

If this woman... if this Elsa can believe in her...

“Anna did not abandon me. Rapunzel did not abandon you. If you will let me in, I will not abandon you.”

She can’t believe her ears. But the sincerity is shining in those blue eyes. And now she’s holding out her arms, wide open and inviting...

Cassandra’s heart feels like it’s both breaking and overflowing. For once in her life, someone _understands_. Someone _knows_. A sob catches in her throat as a tear leaks out... then another...

And suddenly she is sobbing into Elsa’s shoulder, clinging desperately, wanting to believe everything Elsa said. Elsa doesn’t say anything, simply holds her fiercely, protectively, letting her get this out. Anna wraps a blanket around her shaking frame and adds to the embrace.

It won’t stop the nightmares. It won’t banish all those lingering doubts. And she still feels the need to somehow prove herself to these royals, to earn...

_No, don’t think like that._

She wants to be worthy of this love. And as she breathes in the scent of this Elsa, she finds a soothing coolness she has never known before. Her broken heart dares to hope. Just for a moment.

Cassandra still fears what tomorrow may bring. But as she gradually melts into Elsa’s embrace, as she lets herself be held...

For now, it is enough.


End file.
